Abstract
Across the world, heritage buildings (including those in Hong Kong) are masonry structures which are emblematic of the architectural heritage, history and culture of a country, city, or colony and generate a sense of curiosity. Historic Monuments also carry academic and aesthetic value (Antiquities & Monuments Office, 2004). The conservation and revitalisation of heritage buildings has become a popular topic in Hong Kong these days and therefore protecting historic buildings and their contents has become greatly significant.Historical structures are especially susceptible to physical, chemical, and biological processes that cause deterioration of their material and structural integrity, potentially leading to catastrophic failure such as an abrupt collapse incident. Many of the Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong were built using blue brick and granite with mortar, which is much weaker than modern buildings built with solid concrete foundations. An example of this was the collapse of a heritage building at the Central Police Station (CPS) compound on May 29, 2016.
The study aimed to investigate, to what extent, a Real-Time Vibration Monitoring System could be used to detect the movement of historical buildings in Hong Kong and formulate some preventive maintenance strategies to ensure the long-term preservation of these buildings. There are three objectives of this study. The first objective is to verify and identify the major causes, which can impact the safety of heritage buildings in Hong Kong.
The second objective is to verify and identify if the Real-Time Vibration Monitoring System (Hardware and Software) is suitable for the use of vibration detection of historical buildings in Hong Kong.
The third objective is to analyze the data collected in order to find if the Real-Time Vibration Monitoring system can achieve the vibration detection measurement standard of historical buildings in Hong Kong.
The results show that the Real-Time Vibration Monitoring System can be used to identify major sources of impact on the structure of heritage buildings; installing devices and a system interface can be applied to monitor the movement of historic building structures effectively and efficiently. Also, the system could achieve the vibration detection measurement standards of Hong Kong and reflect the actual situation and condition for the purpose of taking preventive measures to the historic building instantly.
The difficulties encountered in this research included ensuring that the installation process did not compromise the integrity of the heritage building; the sensitivity calibration of the monitoring equipment did not induce interference in the historical elements of the building and limited access to certain areas of the building due to its historical significance.
Proposed preventive maintenance strategies were a Heritage Maintenance Plan and Conservation Management Plan, which include Inspection Regime, Maintenance Regime, Reactive Maintenance/Repair, Change Management Guidance, Change Management Process and Building and Feature Datasheets to ensure the long-term preservation and health of historic monument and their features.
| Date of Award | 4 Mar 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Min XIE (Supervisor) |